Energia Pecém, an active member of Diamante Energia, in São Gonçalo do Amarante (CE), received this Wednesday (26/11), a group of 40 researchers, students and entrepreneurs at 1st BioEnergy Workshop: Coconut Biomass and Hybrid Charcoal in the Decarbonization of Thermoelectric Plants.
In partnership with the State University of Ceará (UECE), the plant has been studying the applicability of the use of coconut in energy generation. About a year ago, the project of Research, Development, and Innovation (RD&I) evaluates how to produce biochar (biochar) from green coconut shell, with subsequent application to Blends with mineral coal in industrial boilers.
Throughout the day, the workshop brought together scholars and members of the coconut production chain in Ceará to discuss research advances and challenges. In addition to the day of technical lectures at the Diamante power plant, the program includes a visit, next Friday (28), to the BioEnergy Space and to the pilot plant located at the LAIS Laboratory, on the Itaperi Campus, in Fortaleza.
The project is part of Diamante Energia's strategic energy evolution agenda. R$ 2.7 million will be invested in the project, which is funded by the R&D program of the National Electric Energy Agency (ANEEL) and will last 24 months (ending in Dec/2026).
The higher the percentage of biochar - from renewable sources such as green coconut skin - the greater the potential for reducing emissions, since part of the carbon emitted is of biogenic origin and, therefore, climate neutral. The definition of the ideal composition, capable of maximizing the reduction of emissions without compromising energy performance in UTE Energia Pecém boilers, will be one of the main results expected at the end of the research carried out in partnership with UECE.
Another positive impact of the project is the use of coconut waste, reducing the inappropriate disposal of the material. At UECE, the Pilot Pyrolysis and Biomass Roasting Unit (UPTB) began to be used in August of this year to process large volumes of coconut shells and to evaluate critical operating parameters: temperature, residence time, grain size, yield and quality of the biochar produced.
The hybrid coal project is executed with resources from the (PD&I) regulated by ANEEL, and has the technical coordination of Energia Pecém, academic execution from the State University of Ceará and technical support from IDESCO. The initiative aligns with the company's environmental commitments, focusing on applied innovation and regional development.
He is a Blend technically controlled between two types of charcoal: charcoal, produced from the slow pyrolysis of the green coconut shell and, in the future, also from the sludge of effluent treatment plants (ETE), and mineral charcoal, of fossil origin, widely used in thermoelectric power plants. The mixing process makes it possible to obtain a product with optimized physico-chemical properties to improve thermal performance and reduce the carbon footprint in boilers such as Energia Pecém.
